Loki's Pain

Chapter Thirty-Three- Xavier

Ash suddenly tensed up, the feeling of pressure in his mind suddenly ramping up. It was as if someone was whispering in his head, but not intentionally, it felt as if they couldn't help it. The sheer amount of power that was on display was the very reason Ash had grown tired, he just hadn't consciously realized it until then. It was like standing in the middle of a powerful, rushing river and using your own strength to, not just stay above water, but to maintain your position, all while your feet couldn't touch the bottom as the water constantly tried to drag you under and drown you.

Within moments the door was opened by Bruce, and an older, bald man rolled thru the door in an electric wheelchair. Two more people walked in behind him, a beautiful black woman with shock-white hair, and a young-old man wearing a leather motorcycle jacket.

"Young-old....that's a good description for Logan." The old man said cheerfully in an upper-crust british accent, startling Ash out of his reverie. "I am Professor Xavier of Xavier's School for Gifted Youth. But you may call me Xavier." The man introduced himself and held out a hand for Ash to shake.

Ash, however, was hesitant to touch him, sensing that the power he felt, as well as the whispers, were rolling off of him like a thick fog. "My other companion is named Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm. She and Logan are two of the teachers from our school." He continued, lowering his hand with barely visible disappointment, "I brought them along since I believe they will be the two that are best suited to helping you form a training regimen for your abilities."

Staring past Xavier, Ash locked eyes with Logan. Staring into them, he did his best to understand why he was so fascinated by the man. Eventually, Logan jerked his head back with a growl, breaking eye contact and snapping Ash out of the odd event. "You have lived for so long...." Ash muttered, only half to himself, "But not even you fully realize how long it's been...." Ash looked back at him, and just as Logan was about to growl at him, Ash said, "I can heal your mind. I can give you back your memories.... All of them."

Logan snapped his mouth shut, staring at Ash as if he was both the worst monster ever, and his deepest wish rolled into one.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Storm shouted suddenly, a bit frightened by Logan's reaction. She had never seen fear in his eyes before, but she did now. Her eyes went white as thunder began to rumble outside the windows. Staring into her eyes, Ash found the heart of her far more easily. "I like you. You are warm, but wild." Ash mused, even as he grabbed the lines of her power and temporarily blocked them. She no longer had access to her powers until Ash released them again. Her eyes shifted back and the storm receded. "I'm not playing at anything. What I did to you is only temporary, don't worry. But a fight in here would be bad. People might get hurt. So please calm down, okay?" Ash said calmly, almost seeming drugged with his suddenly chipper tone, "Oh! Your power is kinda bubbly, huh?" Ash giggled then, and it was very clear that he had somehow become mildly intoxicated by what he had done.

"Get outta' my head!" Ash shouted at Xavier suddenly, rage filling his face as he whipped around to look at him, "I'm not Jean Grey, for you to fumble around in there! You mucking around in there might fracture my mind like your fucking kids is, so be a good telepath and keep your sticky fingers off of my mind and memories, old man!"

Xavier looked as if Ash had sucker punched him with those comments, and as his face went white, his chair rolled back towards the wall as Ash stalked towards him.

"Didn't think they were telling the truth, huh? Thought they were exaggerating how strong I am? Too bad they weren't." Ash said to him, "I met your kid, you know.... In a way. I didn't realize at first that his fractured psyche was even human. Made me shiver in fear, and I have no intention of allowing my mind to end up the same way. So no, you won't get the chance to manipulate my mind like you did to Jean Gray's." When Xavier was finally pressed up against the far wall, Ash pulled over a chair and plopped down across the back of it, "That much power should have never been stuck inside a single shell, that is true enough...but it still happens, obviously..." Ash laughed darkly, as he gestured at himself, then shrugged as if to indicate others, "But you.... You only have one solution for power that you fear can't be controlled.... You twist it. You limit it. You try to mold the mind into one that will listen to you. But with this much power, that will never work. It always finds a way free. Power like mine needs to be trained not controlled. It needs a strong mind to keep it in check."